Quoth the Raven
by Reiko Itoshii
Summary: No one ever said life was fair. A dramatic Turks romance, with a pinch of angst and a spoonful of humor. Reno/Elena/Rufus. Rated for language.
1. Unbelievable

"Fuck." Reno smacked his head into his hands with an almighty thwacking sound.   
  
"That was a profound statement," Elena commented, spooning cereal into her mouth. "Did you make it up yourself?" She wiped her face off on her napkin, and regarded him out of big, brown eyes.   
  
"Oh, shut up," Reno muttered back. "Got a fucking headache." He eyed the eggs on his plate warily, poking at them with his fork, as if they might jump up and attack him. Elena chuckled darkly, and pushed her bowl away from her, standing to deposit it in the sink. Over the sound of the rushing water, she clicked her tongue at Reno.  
  
"I told you not to have another drink last night, didn't I?" Turning off the faucet, she dumped the dishes into the drawer, and turned around to look at him. "How many did you have, anyway?"  
  
"Dunno. A lot. Spent a whole month's paycheck at the bar..." A slow grin spread across his face as he recalled the outcome of last night's partying. "'T was fun though. You'd never think such a skinny girl would be such..." Elena cleared her throat, pointedly. Apparently unabashed, Reno jabbed his co-worker in the ribs as she passed him. "And where did you get to last night?" He asked, teasingly, catching her arm so she couldn't run away. "You left awfully early..."  
  
Elena pushed ineffectually at him. "I was tired," she retorted, bodily removing his hand and snatching his plate out from in front of him. "I went to bed." Reno raised an eyebrow at her.   
  
"Oh?" He asked, maliciously smiling. Elena was about to reply in kind, but was prevented by Tseng, who entered the kitchen at that moment, sitting down across from Reno.  
  
"Good morning." He nodded briefly at Elena, before turning to Reno, who now had his feet up on the table, obscenely twitching bare toes, his headache apparently forgotten. Tseng coughed, but Reno pretended not to notice.  
  
"Mornin' Boss," he acknowledged, inclining his head slightly. "Want some coffee?" Lowering his voice, he leaned in closer to the head of the Turks, a conspiratorial note in his voice. "It ain't great, though." He jerked his head at Elena. "Better than nothing."  
  
"Yes, coffee...that would be welcome." As Elena bustled around pouring it, Tseng crossed his arms over his chest and surveyed the room. Frowning, he turned back to Reno. "Where's Rude?"   
  
Elena snorted. "Sleeping, very likely. He had as much action last night as Reno did, or so I'm led to believe." Her eyes danced as she served Tseng his coffee. Taking a sip of the drink, Tseng almost choked. Swallowing which as much dignity as he could muster, he ignored Reno's obvious amusement. "Shall I go get him?" Elena asked, unaware.  
  
"I wish you would," Tseng managed. "I've got to say something, and I'd like it if I only had to say it once. Although with you three, it's unlikely." He turned his glare on Reno, who was now grinning foolishly. As Elena obediently retreated, Tseng followed with his gaze in such a manner that Reno poked him, harder than he'd intended.  
  
"So, something to say to us?" He asked, pouring the rest of his coffee into the trash. "Good news, I hope?"   
  
Tseng shrugged. "It depends entirely on how you look at it." He paused for a moment, then looked back up at Reno. "Elena made this coffee?"  
  
Reno nodded. "Yup." He was still grinning.  
  
"Ah." Tseng bit his lip. "Er, would you mind...?" Reno took the cup, and, as he'd done with his own, dumped the contents into the trashcan. "Much obliged," Tseng thanked him, nodding.   
  
After a few moments, Elena returned with a rumpled looking Rude in tow. He was shirtless, apparently having been roused from bed by the over-exuberant Elena. "Back," she caroled, seating Rude at the table. "More coffee?"  
  
"No, no," Tseng assured her, too quickly. "It was lovely. Thank you. I'm full." Elena looked skeptical, but Tseng gave her no time to contest the statement. "Now that we're all here," he began, getting to his feet, "I've a message for the three of you. From President Rufus." He coughed. "He says for us to attend the conference hall in one hour. He'll be waiting for you, there. Don't be late."  
  
"That's it?" Elena was disappointed. "That's all we get?"  
  
"So I was told, so I tell you," Tseng replied, shrugging. "Eat up. I'll meet you in an hour." Standing, he pushed in his chair, and strode quickly from the room, his bootheels clicking across the polished floor. Reno and Elena shared a look behind his back.  
  
"Poor boring old fart," Reno murmured, shaking his head regretfully. "You know what he needs? A sense of humor."  
  
"Tseng is a wonderful man," Elena retorted. "You should be more like him, instead of mocking him." With that, she followed in her leader's footsteps, and departed the room. Reno snorted.  
  
"D'ya hear that, Rude? Be more like Tseng. Feh. Who'd choose him over me, anyway? No one in their right mind, that's for sure. Hey, Rude?"  
  
Rude was snoring peacefully, asleep on the table.  
  
************  
  
Rufus Shinra stood near the windows in the conference hall, hands clasped behind his back, eyes closed in thought. So, he thought, resignedly, this is what is has all come to. In the long run, I'm following my father's footsteps anyway. I'm running. It was almost funny. It would have been funny, he thought, if it wasn't so ironic. Hypocritical. Well, no matter. It would all be over soon, either way. Although, he liked to think that, maybe...  
  
The door creaked open behind him, snapping him out of his reverie. He spun around, to see Reno and Rude standing side by side in the doorway. As they stepped into the room, Elena came running up behind them, rushing and breathless from her haste. Tseng followed, at a statelier pace, closing the door behind him. Nodding at them to take their seats around the table, Rufus stood at the head of it. There was silence in the room for a few moments. Rufus enjoyed the silence. It was so odd to have silence in this mass of noise and chaos. He waited until they began to fidget nervously.   
  
"Sir?" Reno finally asked, cautiously.  
  
Rufus looked over at him, an expression of innocently mild inquiry on his face. "Yes, Reno?"  
  
"Er..." Reno subsided in confusion. Rude, as usual, seemed unperturbed, but it was hard to read that man's thoughts. Tseng looked mildly worried, twitching at his tie. Elena brushed back a stray lock of hair in a quick, nervous gesture. She was very pretty, Rufus thought, giving her more of a keen scrutiny. A bit of a klutz, but very pretty, and very bright, too. A real gem, that one...  
  
Startled by his own thoughts, Rufus cleared his throat. "Yes, I'm glad you're all here." He paused for a moment, watching them sigh and lean forward in relief. Well, be relieved while you can, he thought. It's only beginning. "I've something to say, and you aren't going to like it. That's tough. You're going to have to deal with it." That hadn't come out the way he'd wanted it to. Oh well. "I'll cut straight to the point." Snaking one leg out, Rufus wrapped it around the leg of a chair, and drew the chair towards him, seating himself. "We're leaving. As soon as possible. Probably tomorrow, but today if we can manage. Just the four of you, and me. We won't be coming back. Pack. Quickly."  
  
"What?" Reno looked mildly shocked. "Where?"  
  
"I'm afraid I can't tell you," Rufus replied, calmly. "It would be unwise. Indiscreet. Now, meet me here at-!"  
  
"Hey, wait a second!" Reno was on his feet, now, looking peeved. "Indiscreet? Sir, how long have we been working for you? Two years? Three years? Have you ever known us to be indiscreet? I don't believe so, sir. This is what you got us for. This is why we're here. But we can't do shit if you don't tell us how to work. You've got to give us the data. Don't worry about us blabbing to anyone."  
  
Rufus was a bit impressed. Still, insubordination couldn't be rewarded. "Sit down," he snapped. Reno sank slowly into his chair. There, Rufus thought. Much better. 


	2. Uninformed

Reno glowered angrily at Rufus from his seat, his shoulders hunched over. How dare he humiliate him like that? He was a Turk, god-damnit! He didn't take that from anybody, not even asshole President Shinra. Elena reached a hand over, her eyes not leaving Rufus' face, to touch Reno's shoulder gently, and he forced himself, slowly, to relax. All right. He'd play this game. He'd play along.  
  
"Now then," Rufus spoke into the ensuing silence, "Meet me here...at eight o'clock this evening. I should be ready for you then. Don't say anything to anyone. You have been warned. The one who leaks gets left behind. And let me say right now; that's the last thing you want. You're better off with me. Much better." He turned his head around to look at each of them in turn. Reno stood his ground, and just looked back. What the heck was going on here, anyway? This was the craziest thing he'd ever heard.  
  
"It's your job," Rufus said, looking directly at Reno. "To protect me. That's why you're being paid. If you want to desert, you do it. Right now. Just get up and leave. I won't follow you. But I say again, you're better off with me. You'll know soon enough. So go. If you want." He waited. Reno stared. Rufus stared back.  
  
Elena's small cough broke the tension very suddenly, and Reno eased himself back to lean into his chair. "Yeah, yeah, whatever," he muttered. Rufus smiled.  
  
"I thought you'd see it my way." Turning away from them, he waved a hand. "You're all dismissed. Eight o'clock. Be here. Whoever isn't gets left behind." He said no more, and Reno rose, striding quickly from the room. He didn't care that his three partners were probably sharing odd looks behind his back. He didn't care all that much. The anger was ebbing away now. Yes, he would do his job. Rufus was right, stupid bastard. He was paid to do this job.  
  
Rude came up behind him. "...Everything ok?" He asked, sounding a bit concerned.  
  
Reno let out a long breath. "Yeah," he muttered. Then he laughed wryly. "Sure, everything's fine. Only, at the end of the day, we're leaving, going somewhere, don't know where, with a man I don't trust, who keeps emphasizing how we're loyal to him, and how we don't want to stay here. Everything seems pretty normal, doesn't it?"   
  
"I don't know," Elena murmured, slipping into step with them as they stalked down the hall. "It seems odd. I don't mind moving. We move all the time. We're used to this. Secrets, I mean. But...if I didn't know him better..." and Elena looked frankly skeptical, "I'd say he was scared."  
  
Reno snorted. "Rufus? Scared? Seen any flying pigs lately, hon?"   
  
Elena frowned. "I'm serious!" She slowed down, so that Reno and Rude had to stop walking and wait for her to catch up. "He was worried, just then. About something. I mean, sure, he acted cool and everything, but...you could see it in his eyes, couldn't you? There's something really wrong here, really wrong, to be bothering Rufus Shinra like that."  
  
Reno shook his head. "What, you're reading his thoughts now?" He was disgusted with her. "Taking his side? Go running back to Rufus, why don't you? Go ease his pain!"  
  
Elena sighed. "That's not what I meant," she mumbled, looking away.  
  
Feeling guilty, Reno reached out and clapped her on the back. "Yeah, I know. Sorry."  
  
He watched as Elena looked up at him, smiling slightly. "'K."  
  
They walked on in silence for a short while, until Tseng, who had apparently lingered in the conference hall with Rufus, ran to catch up with them. He gave Reno a long, odd sort of look, and then sniffed. "I don't like to say it...but I haven't got a very good feeling about this."  
  
The confession from Tseng only added to Reno's discomfort. Tseng didn't usually admit to his own concern. Was there any substance behind Elena's previous statement? He hoped not. He didn't like the man, but if Rufus was scared, it had to be pretty damn bad. Everything had been going just fine...why, all of a sudden, just packing and leaving?  
  
"So...I guess I'll see you guys at eight?" Elena was trying to sound cheerful. Tseng nodded, and muttered something.   
  
"...Yeah," Rude whispered, shaking his head, as if to clear it. Reno watched him and Tseng move off in separate directions. They were all nervous. Then, only he and Elena were left in the hall.  
  
"Hey, it's gonna be fine," he said, putting on a cocky smile for her sake. "You're worrying over nothing, again. I bet he's trying to scare us, you know?"  
  
"That wouldn't be like him," Elena contradicted, shaking her head sadly. That bothered Reno. How did she suddenly think she knew so much about Rufus? Why did she care? That bastard was putting them through all of this, and there she was, frowning and bothering because she was afraid Rufus Shinra would get hurt.   
  
"Yeah, I guess you'd know," Reno muttered, moving off down the hall at a quicker pace.   
  
"Reno!" Elena called after him, but Reno didn't stop. Why should he? No one gave a shit about him. No one gave a shit at all.  
  
************  
  
Elena wandered back to her room, and collapsed unhappily on her bed. Damn that Reno. Didn't he get it? And that stupid stunt in the conference hall...he knew they didn't have the authority to contradict President Shinra. He knew that well.  
  
That's probably why he did it, she thought ruefully. He always wanted to be a rebel, always showing off to the world. He was going to get himself hurt someday. He and Tseng, they were always trying to be the macho-men. Rude didn't work like that. He seemed so much more sensible. Rather taciturn, perhaps, but they'd all grown so close over the years, that she could basically tell what he was thinking, even when he didn't want to say it. She could read most of them like a book, now...that was her gift. Sympathy. And how wasted it was.  
  
Rufus was very different from all of them. Calculating, quiet, and patient. It was harder to read him, much harder than Reno, who wore his emotions on his sleeve. But he had been scared today, she knew it. And that made her scared, screaming scared, pants-wetting scared, scared fit to burst.   
  
Oh, she'd be there at eight, just like the others. He'd meant it when he said they'd be better of with him. But why? And why not tell anyone? If there was danger, real danger, was he going to leave all the rest behind? That seemed unlikely. Maybe that was it, maybe he was setting up defenses, and he didn't want them to talk about it, because maybe the traitor was in the building, and...  
  
No. Elena stopped that train of thought abruptly. Her imagination was getting away with her again. Before she knew it, she'd be convincing her self of something that was blatantly untrue. She would work with the facts. But what facts? He hadn't given them any facts! And how were they to protect him, if they didn't know what to protect him from?  
  
This was by far the weirdest mission she'd even taken part in, or ever been on. And was it really a mission? Or an escape? Or attack? Or a joke? It could be a joke, for all she knew. But that was unlikely. His voice had been too steely, too desperate, for humor. No, this was serious. And she was going to need sleep, if she was going to be traveling at eight in the evening.   
  
She curled up on her pillows and blankets, closing her eyes, and hoping that when she woke, Reno would laugh at her, and tell her she was being silly, just like he had earlier. Stupid Reno. He didn't understand. She didn't care that much about Rufus, did she? No, she cared about...  
  
Slowly, she drifted off to sleep. 


	3. Unforgiveable

When Elena awoke again, it was dark. Blinking and rubbing at her eyes, she extracted herself from the covers of her all-too-comfortable bed, and slid unceremoniously onto the floor, stretching her arms out over her head in a bone-popping exercise. Then she stood, and fumbled in her drawers for her Turk uniform. It would, she assumed, be a uniformed excursion. Throwing a few clothes and things into a small case, she clinked it shut, and stood.   
  
Across the way, she heard another door open, and then another, and another. Punctual as usual, she thought. Donning her pants and jacket, she slid quietly out the door, and out into the hall. Nodding at Tseng and Reno, she fell into step behind them, closely followed by Rude.  
  
No one spoke for a long time. It was only when they reached the airship, a new acquisition, that Reno over towards Elena's ear.   
  
"You get some sleep?" He asked, in a bare whisper.   
  
She nodded. "Did you?"  
  
Reno grimaced. "Er...yeah, I did." The tired look on his face gave the lie to his words. Elena wondered how long it had been since he'd actually slept.   
  
Rufus was waiting for them by the airship. It was slightly smaller than the previous one, the Highwind, and had yet to be named, as Rufus had been given the choice of name, and hadn't spared a moment recently to think about it. Suddenly, Elena wondered if she should have packed more. Did she have everything she'd need? Forever was forever...and could a few pairs of pants last her forever?   
  
Elena watched as Rufus panned their faces, searching for something, for some element of emotion in them. Apparently not finding it, he shrugged, and beckoned with both hands, before climbing the makeshift ramp up into the ship. Tseng was the first to follow, his face expressionless, mounting quickly and disappearing from sight. Rude paused for a moment, and then went up the ramp. Reno had obvious misgivings, Elena noticed. She couldn't blame him. When he didn't budge from his spot, she stepped forward, took his hand firmly in hers, and stalked up the ramp, head held high. She, Elena, would not fear. And neither should he.  
  
As if strengthened by the contact, Reno made the rest of the walk without hesitation. The door slammed shut behind them as they took their seats as they climbed onto the bridge. Rufus was already there, standing at the helm while the pilot, a young man with a mop of dark wavy hair, prepared the ship for takeoff. Elena slid into a seat next to Rude, while Reno braced himself against the railing. Tseng, still appearing unperturbed, stood by Rufus at the helm.  
  
The ship began to lift off from the ground. Elena's stomach dropped. She didn't like flying much. Reno teased her about it often, but he shouldn't talk, she thought ruefully. He loved flying, and he didn't get that sickening, nauseating feeling in his stomach when they suddenly lurched upward. He looked better, now, than he'd been a minute ago, exhilarated by the sensation that she so loathed. How she envied him. But it was good to see him more at ease.  
  
When they'd reached a significant altitude, Elena chanced a look out the front window. They were very high. Swallowing hard, she turned to Reno, but he wasn't watching the view. Instead, he was watching Rufus, who had stepped away from the front and was walking towards the pilot's chair. He murmured something to the pilot, then pivoted, and gave each of his Turks a long look.  
  
"I'm sorry," he said, with a sigh in his voice. "You'll thank me for it later."  
  
What? Glancing at Reno, Elena saw the confusion on his face. "Sir?" She asked.  
  
Rufus shook his head, and said nothing. Instead, he reached a hand towards a button the console. Even as he raised his hand to press it, Reno surged out of his seat, barreling forward and grabbing Rufus' arm.   
  
"The hell do you think you're doing?" He asked, panic in his voice. Rufus shook him off, hard, so that he fell on his back to the floor.   
  
"I told you," he said coldly, "I can't tell you. Not yet. Not now. You'll understand, later. I've made the decision."   
  
"You can't do this!" Reno was desperate, scrabbling to his feet and clawing at his superior. "You can't! Thousands of people, thousands! How can you justify this? How is this not wrong? What are you hoping to achieve??" He wedged himself between Rufus and the control panel, planting himself firmly in place. "I'm not letting you do this!"  
  
"Yes, Mr. Tarshil, you are." Rufus tried to push past Reno, but was shoved roughly backwards. Blazing with anger and-to Elena's eyes-confusion, Reno stood his ground.   
  
"Don't, Rufus," he pleaded. "Don't."  
  
Shaking his head, Rufus threw Reno a punch in the face, making him fly backwards, and out of the way. Elena bit her tongue to stop from screaming, and hurled herself forward towards the fallen man. Rufus paused for a moment, watching, and then turned, bowing his head for a moment, and pushed the bottom.  
  
Below them, the Shinra building erupted in a blazing explosion of smoke and flame. Elena did scream now, echoed by Reno's cry. Tseng just closed his eyes, and turned away. He'd known, Elena realized, horrified. He'd known, the whole time. He hadn't told them, he hadn't tried to stop it. She turned, her face red and blotchy, to stare at him.  
  
"Tseng," she murmured. He didn't look at her. "Tseng!" Rising from her chair, she grabbed his shoulder, and pulled him around to look at her. He said nothing, but moved away, off of the bridge, and out onto the deck. Frustrated, Elena turned back to Rufus. "Why?" The word came out as a squeak.  
  
Rufus was silent for a long moment. Then he reached a hand down, pulling Reno to his feet. Reno just glowered, tears in his eyes. Sighing again, Rufus sat back down in his chair, and stared out the front window, now lighted with the flickering flames of the burning building below. "I didn't want to do it," he murmured. "I had to. I had no other choice."  
  
Suddenly Reno had his gun out, pointing directly at Rufus. Rufus didn't move, except to turn his head to gaze at Reno placidly. "Damn you," Reno was muttering, his hands shaking. "Had to? Had to? Damnit, you didn't have to! You didn't have to do anything! I don't know what this is all about, but it ends right here, right now. Thousands of people..."   
  
"Reno." Rufus' voice was calm, now. "Reno, put down the gun."  
  
"No way. No way!" Nervously, Reno transferred his gun to the other hand, and then back again. "I'm gonna kill you. I'm gonna take you down. They never did anything, nothing to you! Nothing!" Rude stepped to his side, but Elena stayed back, worried.   
  
"Reno," Rufus repeated slowly. "I'm going to explain. You want to know why, don't you? I'll tell you why. Put down the gun. You don't understand. Do you really want to shoot me?"  
  
"Hell, yeah," Reno muttered, but Elena could see that his resolve was failing. "Yeah...you killed them. I'm gonna kill you."   
  
"...Wait," Rude murmured, putting a hand on Reno's gun. "...Wanna hear what he's got to say."   
  
"I don't care what he's got to say!" Stamping his foot for emphasis, Reno didn't take his eyes off his target. "What could he possibly say to justify this? And we witnessed it! We've got the evidence. Nobody would blame me. Nobody would blame us." The gun shook harder in his hand, so that he had to clamp the other down on top of it.  
  
"Reno, I hate it to, but we'll never know if you kill him now. We'll never even know why. Could you live with that? Put down the gun, Reno. Put it away." Boldly, Elena stepped in front of him, in the way of the gun.   
  
Reno gave one last shuddering sigh, and dropped the gun. "All right," he muttered angrily. "All right. But this had better be damn good."  
  
Rufus, still placid, got to his feet. "Of course," he agreed. "Please, come with me." 


End file.
